Santa Cruz Sheriff Says Pablo Sandoval Won’t Face Sex Assault Charges

KANSAS CITY, MO - JULY 10: National League All-Star Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants watches from the dugout during the 83rd MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

National League All-Star Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants watches from the dugout during the 83rd MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) — Santa Cruz County’s district attorney said he is reviewing the sheriff’s decision to not arrest San Francisco Giants player Pablo Sandoval in connection with a woman’s claim that he sexually assaulted her at an Aptos resort last month.

The sheriff’s office said in a news release Thursday that its investigation did not turn up enough evidence to warrant an arrest, and that it was turning the results of the investigation over to the district attorney’s office.

Sandoval, 25, was being investigated in connection with an incident in which a 21-year-old woman told authorities that the Giants third baseman had assaulted her in Aptos after a night out in Santa Cruz.

Thursday’s announcement, which followed more than a month of investigation, does not mean the case is closed, District Attorney Bob Lee said. It is still possible Sandoval could face charges in the case.

“We’re the ones who actually decide whether a crime has been committed,” Lee said.

Lee said his office had been working closely with the sheriff’s office since the Santa Cruz County woman filed her complaint at 4:25 a.m. on the morning of June 1.

She told investigators she had met a group of people in downtown Santa Cruz the previous night then gone to the resort, according to the sheriff’s office.

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